It's Love Your Zoo & Love Your Aquarium 2022!

Our member zoos and aquariums signify much more than just a great day out. That’s why each year, BIAZA dedicates May Half term to Love Your Zoo / Love Your Aquarium (LYZ/LYA). 

During the past two years, LYZ/LYA week was paired with the hardships our members were facing with dwindling visitor numbers due to the many lockdowns. We were amazed to see the overwhelming support from the public, and the bounce-back to normalcy from many members, with some projected to reach even higher visitor milestones than before the pandemic.   

Through overcoming the enormous hurdle of Covid-19, it's clear that zoos and aquariums have a concretely established place here in Britain and Ireland. That's why we need to support them to be the best they can be for nature. 
LYZ/LYA means celebrating the brilliant conservation, education, research and welfare work of our UK zoos and aquariums. And this year, we’re also adding diversity and inclusion to the list, since this week coincides with June’s month of Pride. Look forward to the series of blogs we have planned from LGBTQ+ members across the industry.  

In terms of conservation, every visitor’s support to our member zoos and aquariums supports the wider world of wildlife. For example, did you know BIAZA members contribute over £31 million a year to field conservation projects? You can read more about how supporting zoos and aquariums helps nature here.

As LYZ/LYA kicked off during the weekend, we’ve already seen some brilliant events, promotions, and competitions in celebration of LYZ – so be sure to check out your local zoo or aquarium’s social media channels to see if they have something in store for this eventful week, not to mention the long bank holiday weekend.

Also, be sure not to miss our series of Instagram Takeovers over at @officialbiaza – where we’re giving nine of our members a day to use our account to showcase some exclusive behind-the-scenes goodness. We've had some fantastic photos, stories and videos so far and we can't wait what the rest will have to offer too.

So now is a great time to have a memorable day out whilst lending your support to one (or several) of the 120+ BIAZA members across Britain and Ireland - and perhaps discover new reasons to Love Your Zoo & Aquarium <3

- Maria Carbin, BIAZA Campaigns and Communications Officer